Australian company Seeing Machines has partnered with supplier Takata to commercialize the technology, which monitors the driver’s gaze. If the system determines that a driver is spending too much time looking down or to the side, it can activate an audible alarm as a reminder to pay attention to the road.
“Eye and head tracking technology is the next step in automotive safety, which we expect to play a
significant role in the reduction of one of the greatest causes of accidents: driver distraction,” said Seeing Machines CEO Ken Kroeger.
The company has already implemented similar systems in mining equipment and semi-trailer trucks, helping to monitor fatigue and alert both the operators and their employers when the system detects distraction.
Seeing Machines and Takata have not yet publicly disclosed which automakers are eyeing the technology, however unnamed sources told CNBC that GM will be the first customer. Other companies will likely be watching to see if the system actually works, and if drivers view it as an annoyance rather than a welcome safety feature.
Takata is said to be building enough eye-tracking systems to install in a half million vehicles within the next three to five years.
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